Billionaire Sues WSJ Reporter for Libel

The suit does not name the newspaper or the article's co-writer

The chairman of the Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS) is suing a reporter over a brief description of him in an article published in the Wall Street Journal.

Sheldon Adelson has filed suit against Kate O’Keefe, a Hong Kong-based reporter for the Wall Street Journal, accusing her of libelin a Hong Kong court after she described him as a “scrappy, foul-mouthed billionaire” in a December article, the Wall Street Journal noted.

Adelson is demanding “aggravated, exemplary and special damages.” The Wall Street Journal said it will represent O’Keefe in court.

The article in question related to a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former Las Vegas Sands executive. Neither the article’s U.S.-based co-writer, nor the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by News Corp. (NASDAQ:NWSA) are named in the lawsuit.

Shares of the Las Vegas Sands fell more than 1% in Tuesday morning trading, while News Corp. rose fractionally.